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Gordon Willis is a Actor, Director, Director of Photography and Cinematography American born on 28 may 1931 at Queens (USA)

Gordon Willis

Gordon Willis
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Birth name Gordon Hugh Willis, Jr.
Nationality USA
Birth 28 may 1931 at Queens (USA)
Death 18 may 2014 (at 82 years)
Awards Academy Honorary Award

Gordon Willis, ASC, (born May 28, 1931) is an American cinematographer best known for his work on Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather series as well as Woody Allen's Annie Hall and Manhattan.

His fellow cinematographer William Fraker has called Willis's work "a milestone in visual storytelling", while one critic suggested that "more than any other director of photography, Willis defined the cinematic look of the 1970s: sophisticated compositions in which bolts of light and black put the decade’s moral ambiguities into stark relief".

When the International Cinematographers Guild conducted a survey in 2003 they placed Willis among the ten most influential cinematographers in history.

Biography

Né dans le Queens à New York, d'un père créateur de masques chez la Warner, Gordon Willis passe son enfance dans les salles de cinéma. Il commence une carrière de photographe et cadreur pour l'US Air Force 12 ans durant, où il réalise de nombreux documentaires.

Willis travaille ensuite dans une agence de publicité de New York, où il rencontrera Michael Chapman.

En 1970, il réalise pour la première fois la lumière d'un long métrage, End of the Road. En 1972, son travail sur Le Parrain de Francis Ford Coppola est salué par la profession et la critique. Il devient un des chefs opérateurs les plus prolifiques du Nouvel Hollywood avec, outre la série des Parrain, Klute (1971), Les Hommes du président (1976) d'Alan J. Pakula ou Bad Company de Robert Benton.

En 1977, il entame avec Annie Hall une collaboration avec Woody Allen. Ils travailleront ensemble sur 8 films jusqu'en 1985. Allen aura du mal par la suite à trouver la même osmose chez ses chefs opérateurs suivants.

En 1980, Willis réalise son propre film : Windows. Le film est un flop : Gordon Willis est même nommé pour un Razzie Award du « pire réalisateur ».

La carrière de Gordon Willis ralentit à partir des années 1990 : il ne tourne que deux films durant cette décennie, ainsi que quelques publicités.

Il a obtenu deux nominations aux Oscars, pour avoir recréé la photographie des années 1920 dans Zelig (1983) de Woody Allen et pour Le Parrain 3 (1990). En 2009, il a reçu un Oscar d'honneur.

Best films

The Godfather (1972)
(Director of Photography)
Presumed Innocent (1990)
(Director of Photography)
The Devil's Own (1997)
(Director of Photography)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
(Director of Photography)
All the President's Men (1976)
(Director of Photography)
Malice (1993)
(Director of Photography)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Gordon Willis (37 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

Visions of Light, 1h32
Origin USA
Genres Documentary, Historical
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the visual arts, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Ernest R. Dickerson, Michael Chapman, Vittorio Storaro, Sven Nykvist, Caleb Deschanel, Néstor Almendros
Roles Self
Rating76% 3.8417653.8417653.8417653.8417653.841765
The film is the equivalent of a walk through a cinema museum. The doc interviews many modern-day directors of photography and they illustrate via examples their best work and the scenes from films that influenced them to pursue their art.

Director

Windows
Windows (1980)
, 1h36
Directed by Gordon Willis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Horror
Themes Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film, Lesbian-related films
Actors Talia Shire, Joseph Cortese, Elizabeth Ashley, Kay Medford, Russell Horton, Ilana Rapp
Rating48% 2.414552.414552.414552.414552.41455
Emily Hollander (Shire) is the subject of a lesbian obsession at the hands of Andrea Glassen (Ashley), her next-door neighbor. As Emily begins dating detective Bob Luffrono (Cortese), Andrea overflows with jealousy, spying on Hollander through her own window.

Cameraman

The Devil's Own, 1h51
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Action, Adventure, Crime
Themes Films about religion, Films about terrorism, Transport films, Political films, Conflit nord-irlandais, Road movies, Chase films
Actors Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Margaret Colin, Treat Williams, Rubén Blades, George Hearn
Roles Director of Photography
Rating61% 3.0997753.0997753.0997753.0997753.099775
In 1972, eight-year-old Francis "Frankie" McGuire sees his father gunned down due to his Irish republican sympathies. In September 1992, the grown-up Frankie (Brad Pitt) and three other I.R.A. gunmen are involved in a shootout in Belfast when Special Air Service commandos attempt to capture him. 18 British military personnel are killed or wounded. One gunman is killed and another, Desmond, is wounded as Frankie and the last gunman, Sean Phelan (Paul Ronan), escape. An SAS agent asks the wounded man where Frankie is. Desmond is fatally shot by the agent after he says "up your arse". Hiding in the countryside, Frankie and his friend Martin MacDuf (David O'Hara) see a British Army helicopter circling overhead and decide they need Stinger missiles.
Malice
Malice (1993)
, 1h47
Directed by Harold Becker
Origin Canada
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Serial killer films
Actors Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Bebe Neuwirth, Josef Sommer
Roles Director of Photography
Rating64% 3.247613.247613.247613.247613.24761
Andy (Bill Pullman) and Tracy Safian (Nicole Kidman) are a newlywed couple living in a Victorian house that they are restoring in Western Massachusetts. He is an Associate Dean at a local college, while his wife teaches art to children. When a student is attacked and seriously wounded by a serial rapist, Dr. Jed Hill (Alec Baldwin), a brilliant surgeon who has recently joined the staff of the area hospital operates and saves her life. Money is tight, so Andy invites him to rent the third floor of his home with Tracy in order to finance the new plumbing. With his propensity to bring home sexual partners and to party late into the night, Jed quickly proves himself to be a less-than-ideal tenant.
The Godfather Part III, 2h43
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Mob film, Action, Crime
Themes Films about immigration, Mafia films, Seafaring films, Films about religion, Transport films, Gangster films
Actors Al Pacino, Andy García, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Sofia Coppola, Eli Wallach
Roles Director of Photography
Rating75% 3.798783.798783.798783.798783.79878
In 1979, as Michael Corleone is approaching 60, he regrets his ruthless rise to power, and is especially guilt-ridden for having his brother, Fredo, murdered. He has semi-retired from the Mafia, leaving the Corleone family's criminal interests under enforcer Joey Zasa's control. Michael uses his tremendous wealth and power in an attempt to rehabilitate his reputation via numerous charitable acts. Michael and Kay divorced in 1960, and Kay was given custody of their children, Anthony and Mary.
Presumed Innocent, 2h7
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Assassinat, Prison films, Films about capital punishment
Actors Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raúl Juliá, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield, Greta Scacchi
Roles Director of Photography
Rating68% 3.449063.449063.449063.449063.44906
Rozat "Rusty" Sabich (Ford) is a prosecutor and the right-hand man of District Attorney Raymond Horgan (Dennehy). When his colleague, Carolyn Polhemus (Scacchi), is found raped and murdered in her apartment, Raymond insists that Rusty take charge of the investigation. The election for District Attorney is approaching and Tommy Molto (Joe Grifasi), the acting head of the homicide division, has left to join the rival campaign of Nico Della Guardia (Tom Mardirosian).
Bright Lights, Big City, 1h47
Directed by James Bridges
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy
Themes Medical-themed films, Films about drugs
Actors Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, Frances Sternhagen, Swoosie Kurtz, Tracy Pollan
Roles Director of Photography
Rating57% 2.850712.850712.850712.850712.85071
Originally from Pennsylvania, Jamie Conway (Michael J. Fox) works as a fact-checker for a major New York magazine, but because he spends his nights partying with his glib best friend (Kiefer Sutherland) and his frequent cocaine abuse, he's on the verge of getting fired by his boss, Clara Tillinghast (Frances Sternhagen). His wife Amanda, a fast-rising model (Phoebe Cates), just left him; he's still reeling from the death of his mother (Dianne Wiest) a year earlier; and he's obsessed with a tabloid story about a pregnant woman in a coma. The movie captures some of the glossy chaos and decadence of the New York nightlife during the 1980s and also its look at a man desperately trying to escape the pain in his life.
The Pick-up Artist, 1h21
Directed by James Toback
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Romantic comedy, Crime, Romance
Themes Children's films
Actors Molly Ringwald, Robert Downey Jr., Dennis Hopper, Danny Aiello, Harvey Keitel, Vanessa Williams
Roles Director of Photography
Rating53% 2.6546152.6546152.6546152.6546152.654615
Randy Jensen is a smart, independent tour guide who beats womanizer Jack Jericho at his own game. After a quick fling, her indifference only causes him to become smitten with her.
The Money Pit, 1h31
Directed by Richard Benjamin
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Actors Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexandre Godounov, Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna, Philip Bosco
Roles Director of Photography
Rating64% 3.200793.200793.200793.200793.20079
Attorney Walter Fielding (Tom Hanks) and his classical musician girlfriend, Anna Crowley (Shelley Long), learn of Walter Sr.'s wedding to a beautiful young woman named Florinda (Tetchie Agbayani) in Rio de Janeiro shortly after fleeing the country for embezzling millions of dollars from their musician clients. The next morning, they are told they need to vacate the apartment they are subletting from Anna's ex-husband, Max Beissart (Alexander Godunov), a self-absorbed conductor who has returned early from Europe.
Perfect
Perfect (1985)
, 1h55
Directed by James Bridges
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy-drama, Romance
Themes Films about writers, Films about journalists, Sports films
Actors John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marilu Henner, Laraine Newman, Murphy Dunne, Kenneth Welsh
Roles Director of Photography
Rating47% 2.3654052.3654052.3654052.3654052.365405
Rolling Stone reporter Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) is sent from New York to Los Angeles to write an article about a businessman arrested for a drug dealing. During his stay in L.A., Adam sees a chance to collect material for another story about how "Fitness clubs are the singles bars of the '80s".
The Purple Rose of Cairo, 1h25
Directed by Woody Allen
Origin USA
Genres Science fiction, Fantastic, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Themes Films about films, Philosophie
Actors Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Edward Herrmann, Dianne Wiest, Stephanie Farrow
Roles Director of Photography
Rating76% 3.8470453.8470453.8470453.8470453.847045
Set in New Jersey during the Great Depression, the film tells the story of Cecilia, a clumsy waitress who goes to the movies to escape her bleak life and loveless, abusive marriage to Monk, whom she has attempted to leave on numerous occasions.
Broadway Danny Rose, 1h24
Directed by Woody Allen
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Action
Actors Mia Farrow, Woody Allen, Sandy Baron, Jack Rollins, Milton Berle, Will Jordan
Roles Director of Photography
Rating73% 3.6980053.6980053.6980053.6980053.698005
A hapless talent manager named Danny Rose, by helping a client, gets dragged into a love triangle involving the mob. His story is told in flashback, an anecdote shared amongst a group of comedians over lunch at New York's Carnegie Deli.
Zelig
Zelig (1983)
, 1h19
Directed by Woody Allen
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Documentary, Romance
Themes Political films
Actors Mia Farrow, Woody Allen, Susan Sontag, Caitlin O'Heaney, Patrick Horgan, Joséphine Baker
Roles Director of Photography
Rating76% 3.8469453.8469453.8469453.8469453.846945
Set in the 1920s and 1930s, the film focuses on Leonard Zelig (Woody Allen), a nondescript man who has the ability to transform his appearance to that of the people who surround him. He is first observed at a party by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who notes that Zelig related to the affluent guests in a thick, refined accent and shared their Republican sympathies, but while in the kitchen with the servants he adopted a ruder tone, and seemed to be more of a Democrat. He soon gains international fame as a "human chameleon".
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, 1h25
Directed by Woody Allen
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, José Ferrer, Julie Hagerty, Tony Roberts, Mary Steenburgen
Roles Director of Photography
Rating65% 3.298573.298573.298573.298573.29857
It is the early 1900s. Distinguished philosopher Leopold (Ferrer) and his much younger fiancée, Ariel (Farrow), are going to spend a weekend in the country with Leopold's cousin Adrian (Steenburgen) and her crackpot inventor husband Andrew (Allen). Also on the guest list is womanizing doctor Maxwell (Roberts) and his latest girlfriend, free-thinking nurse, Dulcy (Hagerty). Over the course of the weekend, old romances reignite, new romances develop, and everyone ends up sneaking off behind everyone else's backs.